The events you speak of were in the past.
No, they're still ongoing.
See for example the US state department human rights reports throughout the 90s:
Domestic and foreign human rights groups documented numerous killings and
serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in the
Republic of Chechnya by both Russian military and Chechen separatist forces.
Violations committed by Russian military forces occurred on a much greater scale
than those of the Chechen separatists.
Russian troops invaded the Republic of Chechnya on December 11, 1994, in order
to prevent Chechnya's effort to secede from the Russian Federation. The origins
of the conflict are complex. The immediate roots of this crisis go back to
1991, when Chechnya declared its independence. But relations between Russia and
the people of Chechnya have long been contentious, dating to the period of
Russian expansion in the Caucasus in the 19th Century. The indiscriminate and
disproportionate use of force in Chechnya by Russian troops resulted in
thousands to tens of thousands of civilians killed, and some 500,000 people
displaced.
Russian attacks were responsible for the deaths of thousands to tens of
thousands of civilian residents of Chechnya, and Russian forces were credibly
reported to have summarily executed Chechens.
Russia continued its brutal military campaign against the secessionist Republic
of Chechnya, which it launched in December 1994. Russian forces used
indiscriminate and disproportionate force during the destruction of most of
Chechnya's main city, Groznyy, and in attacks on other Chechen towns and
villages. According to press reports, there were up to 4,000 detonations an
hour at the height of the winter campaign against Groznyy. After federal forces
captured several major cities and towns in the Chechen Republic, Chechen
fighters employed guerrilla and terrorist tactics against forces of the
Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs, as well as against Russian civilians
in the town of Budennovsk.
There is no official figure for civilian deaths, but unofficial estimates range
from the thousands to the tens of thousands. The Government has reported that
2,000 federal soldiers were killed and 6,000 wounded during the military
operation.
Violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by government
forces included: the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of military force;
the inhumane treatment of noncombatants; arbitrary detention; beatings; the
torture or summary execution of Chechens at "filtration" (detention) centers,
the largest of which functioned at a meat processing plant near Groznyy; and
harassment and attacks on journalists in the war zone.
The worst violations of international humanitarian law and human rights were
reportedly committed by the "kontraktniki," nonconscripted Russian citizens paid
by the Russian army. "Kontraktniki" are accused of being the group most likely
responsible for having committed the civilian massacre at Samashki. According
to the Russian human rights group Memorial, Russian forces killed 103 civilians
in Samashki in early April in retaliation for the village's support for Chechen
separatists. The Memorial report indicated that no fewer than 18 persons were
killed in artillery bombardment; 5 were killed as a result of shots fired from
armored vehickles; 6 were shot by Russian snipers; at least 30 were killed
inside their homes, either from gunfire at close range or as a result of
grenades being thrown into homes; at least 2 Samashki residents were reported to
have been executed by Russian officers while in filtration camps; others were
set on fire by Russian forces. The youngest killed was 15 years old; the oldest
103. A Duma commission is investigating the massacre, but the commission head
has rejected allegations that a massacre or gross violations of human rights
took place there.
All from the US state department human rights report on Russia, 1995,
http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/democracy/1995_hrp_report/95hrp_report_eur/Russia.htmlThere also were credible reports that the armed forces used indiscriminate force at various times in the Chechen conflict in areas with significant civilian populations, resulting in numerous deaths (see Section 1.g.). They generally conducted such actions with impunity; however, there was at least one conviction; on July 25, a military court convicted Colonel Yuriy Budanov of charges of kidnapping, murder and abuse of authority in the death of an 18-year-old Chechen woman (see Section 1.g.).
The indiscriminate use of force by government troops in the Chechen conflict has resulted in widespread civilian casualties and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of persons, the majority of whom sought refuge in the neighboring republic of Ingushetiya. President Putin announced in 2001 the successful completion of the active military phase of the struggle against separatism in Chechnya and stated that an anti-terrorist operation under the direction of the FSB would begin immediately. The security situation prevented most foreign observers from traveling to the region, and the Government enforced strict controls on both foreign and domestic media access (see Section 2.a.).
Federal authorities--both military and civilian--have limited journalists' access to war zones since the beginning of the second war in Chechnya in October 1999. Most domestic journalists and editors appeared to exercise self-censorship and avoided subjects embarrassing to the Government with regard to the conflict (see Section 2.a.). Human rights observers also faced limitations in access to the region (see Section 4). These restrictions made independent observation of conditions and verification of reports very difficult and limited the available sources of information concerning the conflict. However, human rights groups with staff in the region continued to release credible reports of human rights abuses and atrocities committed by federal forces during the year. A wide range of reports indicated that federal military operations resulted in numerous civilian casualties and the massive destruction of property and infrastructure, despite claims by federal authorities that government forces utilized precision targeting when combating rebels. There were no reliable estimates of the number of civilians killed as a result of federal military operations; estimates of the totals since 1999 varied from hundreds to thousands. It was also impossible to verify the number of civilians injured by federal forces.
Mopping up or "cleansing" operations known as "zachistki" continued periodically throughout the year, although federal forces shifted tactics toward more targeted operations. Although this change reduced large-scale abuses that often accompanied zachistki, human rights organizations indicated that disappearances of those detained in these raids continued. Human rights activists, including Memorial, reported that federal forces continued to ignore order #80, issued in 2002, which established rules on how to carry out passport checks and mopping-up operations. That order required that the military forces have license plates on their vehicles when entering a village, that military personnel should be accompanied by a representative of the Procuracy and local officials, that they identify themselves when entering a house, and that lists be made and shared with local authorities of all persons arrested during a mopping-up operation. For example, in January, federal forces conducted a sweep in the town of Argun. According to reports, the federal forces dragged residents from their beds and took them to a quarry where they detained and tortured them. Relatives of the detained found two bodies that had been blown up in the quarry. Residents were able to identify one of the bodies as a resident whom federal forces had arrested. Only after mass protests in Argun were most of those detained released. All of them showed signs of physical abuse and required medical attention.
Thopse are from the State department human rights report on Russia, 2003,
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27861.htmThe reports also detail the atrocities committed by Chechen seperatist forces.
Boroda will no doubt claim it's all lies, but that's a pretty accurate reflection of what the Russians have been doing in Chechnya in the last 10 - 15 years.
